Mortgages

Limiting large-bank access to the system could have an unintended negative impact on smaller banks.

Canada's banking regulator is proposing to make it more costly for lenders to accommodate mortgage borrowers who stretch out their loans in an effort to limit housing-market risks in the financial system.

The $4 billion-asset United Federal Credit Union partnered with the Nevada Housing Division to offer first-time homebuyers access to down-payment assistance.

Eligible borrowers would receive a credit for up to $5,000 to pay for expenses like insurance, taxes and closing costs. The program comes months after fair-lending advocacy groups criticized KeyBank for its low rate of lending to Black borrowers.

A resilient U.S. economy, lingering inflation and comments from the Federal Reserve contributed to a 10-basis-point hike in the 30-year fixed rate, Freddie Mac said.

Jennifer Kouchis, chief mortgage banking officer lending for VyStar Credit Union in Jacksonville, has been at the forefront of numerous campaigns to reach overlooked communities, including tailoring products to them.

The Home Loan banks are failing to serve huge numbers of Americans because of their reliance on outdated credit scoring models.

Some pandemic-related gains have been ceded to depositories, national numbers from last year's Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reporting confirm.

Under a 2-year-old program, homebuyers receive grants of up to $5,000 for down payments and closing costs. JPMorgan Chase said the latest expansion — to some new 3,000 census tracts in 16 U.S. markets — may help an additional 1,000 customers obtain mortgages.

Between 2004 and 2021, the share of originations under $150,000 has declined by 70%, forcing a growing number of consumers to seek alternative forms of financing instead of getting a mortgage, a Pew Charitable Trusts report found.